Rail anchor



May 27, 1930 G; L. MOORE ET AL ,7 7

' RAIL ANCHOR I Filed Aug. 4, 1927 INVENTORS Patented May 27, 1930 .m mm W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE LOOP MOORE AND JAMES ROBERT STEELE, OF OWEGO, NEW YORK RAIL ANoHo Application filed August 4, 1927. Serial No. 210,627.

Our invention relates to rail anchors and particularly to anchors which frictionally engage the rail flange and abut a stationary part of the road bed to retard the longitudinal movement of the rail.

An object of our invention is to provide a simple yet effective device of this character which may be readily applied to the rail and easily removed therefrom when desired.

The novel features will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a partial plan view of a railway embodying one form of our invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on line III-III in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a conventional cross section taken on line IVIV in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings: 10 designates a rail, and 11 the tie of a railway track structure.

The rail anchor comprises a jaw or stop member 13 having a pair of spaced side members 14 and 15 connected by a web member 16. Preferably, the upper surface 17 of the web member 16 is radiused to constitute a semi-cylindrical bearing surface for the bolt member hereinafter referred to. The side members 14 and 15 extend downwardly beyond the web member to provide tie abutting members 18 and 19, respectively. The latter members preferably diverge outwardly from the plane of the side members for the purpose hereinafter described. The forward edges 20 of the side members 14 and 15 are provided with aligned slots 21 and 22, respectively, which extend rearwardly to a point terminating short of the rear edge 23. The plane of upper surface 24 of the slots 21 and 22 intersects the plane of the upper surface of the web member 16 at an angle substantially the same as the angle at which the plane of the upper surface of the flange of the rail, to which the anchor is applied, intersects the plane of the under surface of said rail. The upper surface 24 of the slots 21 and 22 preferably terminates at the shoulder 25. The lower surface 24 of the slots 21 and 22 ex tends forwardly from the shoulder 25. It will be noticed that in our preferred construction, the jaw memberloosely engages the flange of the rail. The rear edges 23 of the side members 14 and 15 are inclined at an angle to the plane of the upper surface of the 5 web member 16 and constitute cam faces for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The forward edges 20 of the side members are parallel t0 the edges 23 for the convenience of manufacture and the upper and lower edges are parallel to each other and angularly disposed with respect to the first mentioned edges so that the side elevation of said members is of rhomboidal shape.

The bolt or clamp member 26 is preferably of uniform-circular cross section of adiameter which slidingly fits in the space between the side members 14and 15 and rotatably engages the surface 17 of theweb member 16 when the anchor is mounted on the rail. The 7 bolt 26 is provided with a head portion 27 at one end thereof and its other end is a tail portion 28 which is bent laterally'at approximately right angles from the under rail portion 29.

When the device is applied to a rail, the

bolt member 26 is placed beneath the rail so that the under rail portion'29 bears against the bottom surface of the rail, the inner shoulder of the head portion 27 bears against the marginal edge of the rail flange and the tail portion 28 extends upwardly, as illustrated by broken lines in Fig. 2 The jaw member 13 is then placed in position on the rail flange so that the under rail portion 29 of the bolt 26 rests on the upper surface 17 of the web member 16. The anchor is adjusted along the rail until either one or the otherof the members 18 and 19 abuts one of the ties 11 depending upon the direction in which retardation of the rail is to be effected. It will be noticed that when the anchor is in its ini-' tially applied position, the horizontal tangential plane disposed above the axis of the unthe jaws 14 and 15. The distance between the inner shoulder of the head portion 27 of the bolt 26 and the tail portion 28 is such that aw member along the under rail portion 29 of the bolt member 26. This movement causes the anchor to grip the rail flange between the inner shoulder of the head portion 27, the

under rail portion 29 of the bolt 26 and the over-hanging surface 24 of the jaw member. It will be seen that the upwardly extending tail end 28 of the bolt member 26 is easily accessible and can be conveniently. struck by a hammer or other implement to compel its angular movement so that a strong gripping action between the anchor and the rail can be easily effected. The anchor can be easily removed, when desired, by simply tapping the tail end of the bolt member 26 back to its vertical position. I

It will be seen from the above description, that we have devised an effective railanchor which is simple to manufacture, easily ap- -plied to a rail, and so constructed that a track walker easily maintains the anchor effect by merely tapping the upwardly extending tail portion of the bolt member with a hammer or other handy implement to rotate the bolt in the direction of tightening.

While we have shown our invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications without departing fronr the spirit thereof, and we desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims. 7

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rail anchor comprising a jaw member formed on one side to engage a rail flange and having an inclined surface formed on its opposite side, and a rotatable member adapted to engage said inclined surface and the opposite flange of said rail.

2. A rail anchor comprising a jaw member having its forwardly directed face adapted to engage a flange of a rail, and a rotatable member adapted to engage the opposite flange of said rail, said jaw member having a cam surface formed on its rearwardly directed face and said rotatable member having a portion adapted to engage said surface, whereby when the anchor is mounted in position on a rail, rotation of the rotatable membercauses the anchor to grip the rail.

3. A rail anchor comprising a jaw member formed on one side to engage a rail flange and ber and a'bolt member said Yaw member comprising a pair of spaced side port-ions joined by a web portion and adapted to engage a flange of a rail, said bolt member having a head portion adapted to engage the opposite flange of said rail and a laterally eX- tending eortion adapted to engage either of said side members.

5. A rail anchor comprising a jaw mem- V ber ada ated to enga e a flan e of a rail and in c: b

a rotatable bolt member adapted to engage said jaw, member and the opposite flange of said rail, said bolt comprising a body portion, a rounded head portion and an end port1on bent substantially at right lines to thebody portion. I e j 6. A rail anchor-consisting of a aw, member comprising a pa r of spaced side members joined by a web member, said side members being provided with aligned slots extending from their forward edges to a point terminating short oftheir rear edges, said side members extending downwardly beyond said .web member to provide tie engaging members, the rear edges of said side members being provided with a camming' face, and a bolt member having a. body portion adapted to underlie a rail and having a head at one end for engaging a flange of said rail andits other end extending an gularly with respect to said body portion.

7. A. rail anchor comprising of a aw mem her and a bolt member, said awmember havin an over-lianglng ortionada ted to 23 o n. engage the upper face of a rail flangeand havinga seat receptive of said bolt member, 7

said bolt member havinga concentric head portion adapted to engage a flange of said rail and a bent-up portion adapted to engage said jaw member.

8. A rail anchor consisting of a aw member comprising a pair of spaced side menbers joined by a web member,.said side mcmbers being provided with an over-liar 'ing portion adapted to engage the upper su ..'e of rail flange and depending pertions constituting tie engaging members, said tie engaging members diverging outwardly from the plane of said side members, the rear edge of one of said side members being sloped to constitute a .camming face, a bolt member adapted to lie intermediate said web member and the base of a rail and having a head portion on one end thereof and its other end bent from its normal axis and angularly prising a pair of spaced side members, and

- a bolt member underlying said rail intermediate the latter and said jaw member, said bolt member having a head engaging said rail and a laterally extending portion engaging said aw member, a web member joining said side members, the forward edges of said side members being slotted to provide aligned bearing surfaces which are angular with respect to plane of said web, the rear edge of one of said side members being inclined from the plane at right angles to said web, and tie engaging me aber depending from said web member.

10. A jaw member for a rail anchor comprising a pair of spaced side members, and bolt member underlying a rail intermediate the latter and said jaw member, said bolt member having ahead engaging said rail and a laterally extending portion engaging said jaw member, a web member joining said side members, the forward edges of said side members being slotted to provide aligned bearing surfaces which are angular with respect to the plane of said web, the rear edge of one of said side members being inclined from the plane at right angles to said web.

11. A jaw member for a rail anchor comprising a pair of spaced side members of rhombic outline, a web member joining said side members, the forward edges of the side members being slotted to provide aligned bearing surfaces which are angular with respect to the plane of the web member, and tie engaging members extending downwardly and outwardly from said web members.

12. A rotatable bolt member for a rail anchor comprising a body portion, a head portion and a portion bent substantially at right lines to the body portion, said head being adapted to engage the edge of a rail flange at all positions of rotation of said bolt.

13. A railway track construction comprising a rail having a flange portion, a tie for supporting said rail, a jaw member engaging said flange portion, said aw member having 1 a camming surface, a rotatable bolt member underlying said rail intermediate the latter and said jaw member, said bolt member having a nonyielding body portion, a head portion adapted to engage said rail, and an end portion bent substantially at right angle to the body portion adapted to engage said camming face of the jaw member.

14. A railway track construction comprising a rail having a flange portion, a tie for supporting said rail, a member having rigid jaws adapted to engage said flange portion, a bolt member rotatably mounted intermediate said rail and said jaw member, said bolt having end portions adapted to engage said rail and said jaw member, a rigid body portion connecting said end portions whereby rotation of said bolt produces tensional stress only in said body member and causes the bolt and the jaw member to assert an effective gripping action on the rail.

15. A railway track construction comprising a rail having a flange portion, a tie for supporting said rail, a rigid jaw member engaging said flange portion, and a bolt member rotatably mounted on said jaw member, said bolt having means adapted to engage said rail and said jaw member whereby rotation of said bolt produces a stress solely in the direction of its length and causes the bolt and the jaw member to assert an effective gripping action on the rail.

In testimony whereof We hereunto aiiix our signatures.

GEORGE LOOP MOORE. JAMES ROBERT STEELE. 

